Top Chef Junior

[keithmarder]

Nikki won both the Quickfire (it was a sandwich challenge and she crisped hers in bacon grease and the elimination challenge where she made Morimoto inspired wings. She is in the Elite Eight!!!!!! I'd love to hear som pro chef comments on her.

[keithmarder]

This week was Restaurant Wars. The menus were very ambitious. Our girl, Nikki, made beef tartar with a quail egg on top. She had some technical difficultiles, but the taste was good. She advanced again and is in the Top 7. #GoNikkiGo #RootForNikki

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Here is a profile on her. Very articulate young girl!

https://www.universalkids.com/shows/top ... hefs-nikki

[keithmarder]

Here is a profile on her. Very articulate young girl!

https://www.universalkids.com/shows/top ... hefs-nikki

Thanks Mark. She is a great kid. Honors student. Plays soccer for her school. Very mature and thoughtful.

And unlike me she takes her knives to the stones.

[keithmarder]

Nikki won the Quickfire last night and seemed to really impress judge Richard Blais. Despite having immunity, she brought it in the elimination challenge and finished in the top group.

[keithmarder]

She is now in the Top 6

[Drewski]

Very excited for her. Watching as much as I can.

[keithmarder]

Very excited for her. Watching as much as I can.

That's really cool, Drew. It is fun to watch

[keithmarder]

Don't forget to tune in tonight at 6 p.m. on Universal Kids. It's a Food Truck War!!!!

[keithmarder]

She survived and advanced. In the Top 5.

[Drewski]

She survived and advanced. In the Top 5.

Awesome! Regarding the shooting and airing of these shows, when would the Saturday show have been shot? If she's still got more cooking to do, send her good luck from the forum!

[keithmarder]

She survived and advanced. In the Top 5.

Awesome! Regarding the shooting and airing of these shows, when would the Saturday show have been shot? If she's still got more cooking to do, send her good luck from the forum!

Thanks. The whole series has been shot ... from mid February until late April. They are not allowed to divulge any results, though so I can still send wishes.

[keithmarder]

Big episode tonight at 6 p.m. on Universal Kids. My business partner, Nikki's mother, will also be on the show.

[keithmarder]

She made it to the to three again. They each had a region -- she had Europe -- and made Milanese risotto with shrimo and a gremolata. The judges all raved about her risotto. There was no elimination this week because the last "saved" card of the series was used. The kid that would have lost made a poke bowl. The wnner had Africa and pressure cooked some ox tails.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Spill the beans, does she win?!

[keithmarder]

Spill the beans, does she win?!

I don't know, but if I did, I would have been sworn to secrecy, anyway. They have to sign a lot of non disclosures

[keithmarder]

So, Nikki made it to the Final Four last night.

The elimination challenge was a Harry Potter themed kind of Thanksgiving. She was given turkey to cook (her side was mashed potatoes). I think she turned the turkey upside down to cook, which she figured would make the breast more moist at the rendered fat dripped down. The judges (guest judges were Tim Love and Gail Simmons) were impressed and seemed to like the technique. She was in the top group and came in second for the night,

The quickfire challenge had them watching Curtis Stone make fresh pasta and bolognese and had to keep up with him and cook. It looked stressful.

[keithmarder]

Nikki made it into the Final 3 last night. It was a "food fight" competiiton. She was the #1 seed because she has won the most challenges so far. They had to feature different peppers. In the first round she won with a jalapeno crab cake. In the second round she made vegetarian pad thai with, of course, thai chilis. Graham Elliot called it Soul in a Bowl.

There is another episode tonight at 6. One goes home, the other two will be in the final.

[keithmarder]

Nikki is in the final. She won both challenges last night, giving her four in a row and momentum going into the final two against Londyn, whose father is a chef in the Atlanta area.

Her first dish she made oysters and a watermelon granita, which she pulled out the liquid nitrogen for. In the elimination challenge she made rock fish pappillote to order for a large group.

[Bensbites]

Nice!